


A Gift

by eliosoll



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Gay Love, Gay Male Character, Give Hotch a Hug 2020, Happy Ending, I've just always liked the idea of Hotch being in a loving gay relationship, M/M, What Can I Say?, and stayed until he retired, bookshop au, i couldnt figure out how to tab, in my mind Hotch never left the BAU, its not part of the plot but i just like the image, kind of, so the formatting is a bit off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26603041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliosoll/pseuds/eliosoll
Summary: Adam never saw himself sweeping up after Feds just to keep his bookshop afloat. But here he was, watching as all but one agent filed in and out night after night.Aaron Hotchner never thought he could get a second chance of love after his divorce. But here this man was, mopping and smiling without a care in the world.Maybe second chances weren't so rare after all.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Original Character(s), Aaron Hotchner/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63





	A Gift

Owning a bookstore wasn’t as lucrative as it used to be. That was the reason that he’d had had to find another job in the first place. Sure, he liked the store; it was a family legacy, started by his great-grandfather after he and his wife had immigrated in the wake of war. The store was the family’s pride and joy. And his too. But little bookshops didn’t always pay every bill, no matter how many college students it catered to. And because of that, he was here four nights a week, cleaning floors and organizing files. The rest of his time he spent at the store, balancing books and restocking his shelves. Occasionally he would go out with friends, but once you’re in your thirties, partying isn’t really on the agenda. 

Adam didn’t not like his second job, it was quite calming, it’s just more that he’d rather be spending his nights doing something other than cleaning up after FBI agents who apparently didn’t keep cleanliness high up on their hierarchy of needs. He did enjoy the people watching though, it gave him an insight into just who he was cleaning up after; his favourite group being the little circle that was the BAU. Sometimes they’d be there for his whole shift, straight on into the morning, and they’d stay there even after he had left. In the past years he’d seen the good, the bad, and the ugly waltz it’s way in and out of the doors. He remembered when Greenaway had left under a suspicious cloud, when Gideon had disappeared with nothing but a letter in his stead, and when Rossi had stepped in to replace them. But Adam doubted that any of them had even spared him a glance. Not that he minded; people watching was better when the people didn’t watch you back.

* * *

His first true interaction with a member of the team didn’t even happen at the office. Instead, it was when Dr. Spencer Reid walked through Adam’s door and straight to the front desk. 

“Can I help you?” Adam asked with a smile, trying to mask his fatigue.

“Yes, hi,” the other man said quickly. “I’m in a bit of a rush. Do you possibly have _The Canterbury Tales_? I would need an older edition. I was told that this shop is good if you’re looking for older or more rare books.”

Adam pushed back from the desk and chewed his bottom lip in thought, glancing toward the back room. “Well, I know that I’ve got one from ‘76, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got one from the ‘80s.” He paused. “I might still have the Chicago University Press one. That was published in 1940. That old enough for you?”

Reid smiled and nodded. “That’s perfect.”

“Great. Just give me a quick minute and I’ll have a root ‘round for it.”

And so Adam disappeared into his back room, the walls lined with books and boxes and the occasional trinket or two. His quick minute turned into five before he came back to the desk, a cobweb clinging to his hair and his prize in his hands. The doctor bought the book without even looking it over, apparently thrilled with the find, and left with a thank you and a free bookmark. After his first visit, it didn’t take long before Spencer Reid became a regular at the small shop. He became a common head to see among the regular history and classics majors searching for the book that would give them their next A. 

* * *

Adam had seen Reid outside of the bookshelves, of course, and thus his introduction to the rest of the team was only inevitable. It happened on a dreary Thursday night. Heavy rain was pouring outside and the only people who were stupid enough to be working at 11.45 pm were the cleaning crew and the BAU. He glanced up as the elevator doors clunked open and Spencer emerged, followed by a few of his disgruntled looking co-workers. The young doctor stopped in his tracks upon seeing the other man.

“Adam?” His brow furrowed for a moment. “You work here?”

“Guilty as charged,” the accused responded. “I work a couple of nights here a week. I’m actually surprised it took us this long to cross paths.”

Before Spencer could rattle off the statistics of the likelihood of their meeting during work, the blonde who stood a few steps behind him stepped in and held out a hand, going ahead to introduce Agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, and also Penelope Garcia, who looked the least pleased to be called into work as such a late hour.

She then introduced herself.

“I’m Agent Jereau, or JJ if you like. Spence has talked about an Adam before, but I thought you owned a bookshop?”

“I do,” Adam said, shaking her hand and smiling, slightly sheepish. “But bookshops don’t make as much money as they used to and the mortgage doesn’t pay itself so-” he gestured to himself and the mop bucket next to him.

Their conversation was interrupted by a door closing and a man’s voice. “We don’t have much time to go over the case before we leave. Conference room.” 

This was SSA Aaron Hotchner, the agent who had fascinated Adam the most since he had started his night shifts. Adam swears that he’s never seen the man smile.

“It was nice meeting you Adam,” JJ said and the others all said something similar as the group filed up the stairs to corral themselves into the conference room.

“You too.” Adam smiled as they moved along. 

He went back to his mopping without a word.

* * *

Adam didn’t cross conversational paths with the group for a little while after their initial introduction. The team always seemed to have a case. But that didn’t stop him from noticing that one member, in particular, was staying later and later with each day. SSA Hotchner, Adam knew, was known to be a borderline workaholic, so it wasn’t uncommon for him to be seen leaving later than the rest of his agents, but his divorce must have been just the thing to push him over the edge. Adam had heard through the grapevine that Hotchner wasn’t taking the separation too well. Perhaps work took his mind off of the empty apartment he would return to once the day was done. Adam couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man. It can’t be easy living behind a mask for hours on end. 

He blinked himself out of his thought-filled stupor when he heard footsteps approaching him. He turned around to see that it was the man he had just been thinking about. Hotchner moved towards him with a slight frown and vaguely worried face.

“Did you work here last night?” The man said abruptly.

“And good evening to you too, sir,” Adam said, a little peeved that he wasn’t even worth a little hello from the other.

“Did you work here last night?” The question was repeated, followed by a raised eyebrow and a clear sense of urgency.

“Yes,” he said. “Why?”

“Did you see a woman come here? Probably around midnight. Dark hair, glasses, most likely mid to late 50s.”

It was Adam’s turn to frown now, wracking his brains for such a woman.

“Yeah, I think so. She, uh, came in and had a look around. I thought she was looking for someone but she ended up just leaving. Pretty weird, but I try not to judge, especially around here.”

Hotchner turned tail and lept back up to his office. Adam called after him, making him turn.

“And a bit of advice, Agent Hotchner, usually people start with ‘Hello’.” Adam smiled, perhaps a bit cheekily, as he watched the man’s lips form a thin line before he shut himself back into his office.

* * *

And so began their friendship, if one could call it that. It was often that Hotchner and Adam were the only two people on the floor. Occasionally the rest of the team would be there and on such occasions Adam was friendly. How could he not be when they were being friendly to him? They joked and laughed, they offered him coffee and even cookies too. But Hotchner always remained after the rest had gone. 

“They say that working too hard can kill you,” Adam said one night as he emptied the chief’s trash can. The man himself was hunched over his desk, scribbling away. “And you’ll get a hand cramp too.”

“I wasn’t aware that you were a doctor, Mr. Belluomo,” the agent replied, never looking up from his papers.

“And I wasn’t aware that you knew my name.”

“I always take care to know the names of those who associate with my team.”

Adam raised his eyebrows. “Ah, so you think I could be a killer? A threat to your security.”

“I try to stay vigilant.” Hotchner finally looked over at the man. 

It was the first time that Aaron Hotchner had truly gotten a good look at the night cleaner. Adam Belluomo was a handsome man, that was unavoidable to notice. His dark ginger hair was slightly curly and looked to be unkempt but in a roguish way; obviously Adam tried to make it look that way. The man’s brown eyes were light and had a certain spark of intelligence to them. At the moment his lips were pulled into a smirk as he looked at Aaron.

“Cat got your tongue?” Adam said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“No,” Hotchner said quickly, masking a slight flush that appeared on his face, looking back down at his desk. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to work.”

Adam obliged, making sure to close the door quietly as he left. But he was the type of man who liked to have the last word. He opened the door just a crack and stuck his face through. “But seriously, give your hand a stretch.”

* * *

The coffee machine seemed to be on the fritz. Therefore, coffee spillage was up by 100%. Adam was scrubbing away in a corner of the kitchenette when he was met with a pair of polished shoes.

“I just need to reach that cabinet,” Hotchner said, looking down at the other man.

“Agent Hotchner,” Adam said as he stood up, leaning on the counter. “What have I said about starting conversations? You gotta say hello.”

A flicker of a smile crossed the agent’s face. “Alright. Hello, Mister Belluomo, I just need to grab a mug.”

“Very nice.” Adam grinned and moved out of his way. “You’re well on your way to being a regular human being.”

“I’ve managed to be one for many years, I don’t need your advice,” Hotchner said as he reached up to pull down a mug and refill his caffeine fix.

Adam cocked his head to the side slightly, surveying the other man with nothing less than curiosity. 

“What?” Aaron said.

“There’s just...it’s this one thing that’s been bugging me about you.”

“Oh yes? And what would that be?”

“Your ID card,” Adam said, glancing down at it. “In the photo, you’re smiling, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen you smile.”

Aaron started. He didn’t know how to react; it had been years since he’d really looked at his card photo. It hadn’t even occurred to him what he’d been doing when it had been taken.

“And that bugs you?” He said finally, hoping that Adam hadn’t noticed the falter.

“You have a nice smile,” Adam said. “You should do it more.” 

He didn’t give Hotchner enough time to react before he was off, going back to his cart and wheeling it away down the hall. 

Adam tried his best to hide the pink blush that was making its way up to his cheeks.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner liked to think that he was at least kind to the men and women who cleaned the building he worked in. But, that being said, he didn’t often engage in conversation beyond a short hello or a head nod. He was under the impression that his colleagues did much of the same, so it threw him for somewhat of a loop when he saw Reid being all buddy-buddy with one of the night shift workers, with the rest of the team following suit. Of everyone in his group, Reid was the last person he had suspected of making a new friend. Aaron watched as the group talked and laughed with this man, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. It had been some time since he’d laughed. He had always stayed later than most at work, even when Jack had still been a baby, but after the divorce, he started staying even later. The minutes he told himself that he would stay turned into hours, and soon there were days where he would spend the entire night in his office, perhaps dozing off on the couch, safe in the knowledge that his empty apartment would stay that way. 

It wasn’t long before he saw the ginger-haired cleaner more and more often. He seemed like a quiet man, introspective and bookish; Aaron often saw him craning his neck to chance a glance at whatever tome Reid had out on his desk. He didn’t seem like too much of a threat, but Aaron still felt uneasy. Perhaps it was some paternal protectiveness that he felt for his team. He waited a couple of weeks before he did a full background check on the man. Adam Joseph Belluomo was squeaky clean on paper. He’d lived in Virginia for most of his life, only taking a few years away to go to university in Canada to major in Medieval Literature with a minor in Religious Studies before coming back and working at what appeared to be a family bookstore. Nothing untoward in his past.

Aaron couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. Maybe he had wanted something bad to come up, so he could move this man away from his co-workers. The jealousy returned once he realized he had nothing on Belluomo. He looked out through his office window blinds to watch the man. It looked like he was whistling. Aaron grit his teeth and straightened himself up in his chair. Why did this Belluomo man bother him so much?

He had never given a second thought to his ID photo. It had been taken so long ago now that what it looked like wasn’t even on his radar. Adam pointing out that he was smiling had made himself conscious. Why? It was just a smile? But then he supposed that his smile was such a novelty these days that seeing it, even in photo form, would be something remarkable. Is that why he pointed it out? Or did he do it just to rub Aaron up the wrong way? And why did he rub Aaron up the wrong way in the first place? He couldn’t help but be infuriated by this man who he really shouldn’t give this much attention to. 

He threw down his pen and frowned. Aaron knew the exact answer to his question, and he knew exactly why it bothered him.

* * *

“Is that Chinese?” Adam had once again poked his head into the ajar office door of SSA Aaron Hotchner. It was the smell that brought him in. The rumble in his stomach betrayed his hunger to the owner of the office, who looked up from his somewhat sad solitary meal. 

“Yes.” His reply was short. “Is that important?”

“Care to share?” Adam smiled and made his way fully into the room. “Didn’t get a chance to eat before I got here.”

Hotchner gave Adam a look from under his eyebrows before motioning for the other to sit down.

“Thanks.”

They sat eating in silence for some time before Hotchner was the one to speak first.

“Why here?” He asked, setting down his dinner.

“Sorry?”

“Why work here? Of all the places to get a second job, you decide to clean the FBI at night?” Aaron watched the other carefully for his reaction.

Adam chewed thoughtfully for a moment before replying. “It’s quiet, methodical. I like the peace. I mean, sure, the shop can be quiet too but sometimes you just wanna be by yourself, y’know? I’m sure you want some silence occasionally.”

“Yeah. I understand that.”

Adam watched the other man, trying to see just what Hotchner thought of his decision. 

“Well,” Adam said. “Why did you choose here?”

Aaron stopped his chopsticks as they dove back into the carton. He hadn’t expected his question to be parroted back at him. It wasn’t often that he was asked that in the first place.

“I was an attorney for years with the Justice Department,” he began. “But eventually I got tired of being...being too late. I wanted to try to stop criminals before they got to court.”

“Very noble of you.” Adam smiled warmly. He had expected nothing less from this man. In the time that he had worked here, it was obvious to Adam that Aaron Hotchner was a protector, first and foremost.

“I best be going. Floors to clean, garbage to empty.” He stood up and stretched out his back, grabbing his broom that he’d leant against the doorframe. “Thanks for dinner.”

“Yes, well, I could hardly have you go about your work hungry,” Aaron said.

“Well, you won’t have to deal with that for much longer. This week is my last.”

“You’re leaving?”

“My uncle passed and it turns out his Will was pretty favourable to me. Guess there’s an upside to him not having kids.” Adam shrugged. “It covers a lot of payments that I keep this job for. I won’t have to keep sweeping to keep my doors open.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Hotchner said. “And I can’t say that you won’t be missed by my team.”

“They can always come down to the shop. Friends and family discount, eh?” Adam raised his eyebrows comically before heading down the stairs back to his cart.

Aaron stumbled slightly to stand in his office doorway.

“Mister Belluomo-” he started.

“Adam.”

“Adam. Would you mind if I came by the store? I don’t have the address but-” Aaron furrowed his brow and looked up from where he was avoiding contact when he heard the other man chuckled.

“I left one of my cards on your desk. I’ll keep an eye out for you. Remember, friends and family discount.”

Adam gave Aaron a bright grin before pushing his cart away down the hall.

  
  


* * *

A few weeks passed before Adam saw Aaron again. The older man entered the store as its owner was chatting on the phone. Well, chatting wasn’t precisely what was happening, it was more of a listening session. He covered the receiver quickly when the bell above the door rang.

“I’ll be with you in a minute,” he said before going back to his call. “I have to go...No, no, I always like talking to you, I’ve just got customers...Ok, ok...Yes...Yes, I’ll call you later...Love you too. Bye.” Adam let out a long breath as he hung up before moving out from behind the desk and going to greet the newcomer.

“Agent Hotchner!” Adam smiled, reaching out to shake hands with the man enthusiastically.

“Aaron, please,” Hotch said. “This is a nice place you’ve got here. I don’t really get to go to places like this as often as I like.”

“I didn’t peg you as a bookworm.”

“Dr. Reid isn’t the only one with a degree.”

“Is that a smile I see? I never thought I’d have the privilege.”

Aaron tried to hide it, seeming a little embarrassed.

“I was actually hoping to find a book for my son.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right place, but I’m afraid a consultation comes with a cost,” Adam said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, smirking.

“Which would be?” Aaron looked slightly nervous, but curious nonetheless.

“You let me buy you dinner.”

Aaron was taken aback. Sure, he was attracted to the man but was now the best time to enter a relationship. Or maybe he was overthinking this. Dave did keep telling him that he should have more fun. Relax was the actual word used. He let a small smile grace his lips eventually. 

“I’d like that.”

* * *

After returning to the office from a case it wasn’t uncommon for Rossi to slide into Aaron’s office with a bottle and two glasses. Tonight it was a rather nice twenty-year-old scotch. It wasn’t long before Dave started to lean on his friend for information regarding his date, which had happened the night before this particular case had come in. Aaron knew it was coming the moment that that smug look came onto Dave’s face.

“Alright, go on. Ask. You know you want to.”

Dave raised his hands in the air in mock surrender.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But that being said, I did hear through the grapevine that you went on a little date with that friend of Reid’s; the book guy?”

“That grapevine being?” Aaron asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing exactly who it was.

“Garcia.” Of course. Who else could it have been?

Aaron shook his head and smiled softly.

“He’s nice,” he said eventually.

“That’s it? ‘He’s nice’? C’mon, Aaron, I gotta have more.” Rossi inclined his head as if to urge his friend into a story.

“What? He was nice. We went to this tiny restaurant with, I swear, only about six tables, and he sits us down in this corner and says ‘You really gotta know people to get in here.’ No explanation. But the dinner was the best I’ve had in ages. And we just...talked.” Aaron clammed up the minute he realized that he was rambling.

“You’re not talking about Carlucci’s, are you? That place has a reservation list a mile long,” Rossi said, clearly surprised. “How the hell’d he get you in there?”

“He said the owner was a cousin of his.” Aaron shrugged.

“What’s this guy’s name again?” Obviously the idea of having an in with this restaurant really piqued Rossi’s interest.

“Adam Belluomo.”

“Ah! Of course!” Rossi exclaimed. “An Italian. Well, that settles it, you gotta keep on with this guy. I mean what more could you ask for than special access to what could be the best Italian restaurant in town.”

Aaron chuckled. “Of course that’s what you care about. He could be a mass murderer, but no, as long as he can get you a good dinner.”

“You do know what Belluomo means, right?” Rossi asked, meeting Aaron’s frown with a raised eyebrow.

“No,” Hotch said cautiously.

“‘Beautiful man’. You’ve really caught a good one here, Hotch.” Rossi raised his glass to his friend in a toast. “To your new Italian lover.”

“Shut up."

* * *

The relationship blossomed slowly, each man opening up to the other while tiptoeing over glass eggshells. Adam knew that Aaron would be reserved and private, he knew that due to the cases he worked that he would have many skeletons in his closet, so he didn’t want to put pressure on the older man to spill his life story immediately. And in turn, Aaron didn't want Adam to think that he was nosy and bothersome, so he held back on questions. He didn’t want the other to think that their conversations were interrogations. One dinner turned into two, then four, then ten and then twenty; with Carlucci’s always being the first choice of venue. Then dinners became lunches, coffee dates, walks in parks, or even sitting in the bookshop with a teapot between them, blues on the radio, and a quiet evening of reading. The two men immediately discovered that they read many of the same genres. Adam had found it quite funny that Aaron’s theme of choice was spy and mystery novels, but then, he supposed, they kept the mind sharp. He had always enjoyed a good mystery himself. And so they would often read the same book at the same time, sharing notes and insights, and having lengthy discussions over who the culprit might be. 

Adam didn’t hide his relationship with Aaron. He told his brother and cousins, his mother and grandparents. But for Aaron’s sake, he tried not to mention it if Reid came into the shop, which was quite often these days. Adam understood that Aaron didn’t want his colleagues to know just yet that he was dating, or indeed who he was dating. Adam didn’t even know if Aaron’s work friends knew he was attracted to men. That would be a conversation for another day. He knew that Aaron had a son, he had seen many pictures, but they had yet to meet. He was waiting for the invitation, he didn’t want Aaron to feel like he was butting into their lives. Aaron’s ex-wife had main custody of the kid, with Aaron only seeing him occasionally, and Adam didn’t want to take time away from that. He would let Aaron decide when the right time to meet was.

* * *

“You’re very quiet.”

Tonight they were spending an evening in Adam's apartment. It was situated above the bookshop and had once belonged to the founders of the place, but now it was solely Adam’s and he had made sure to make it so. It was definitely the home of a bookish man. Shelves lined the walls, stuffed with books, various paintings and prints were dotted about the place, the television was tucked in the corner with the comfortable couch and chair. If there was one word to describe the apartment it would be _Warm_. It was gentle and well-lived in. The kitchen was regularly used but also regularly cleaned and the bedroom was tidy but obviously well-loved. Adam’s brown cocker spaniel, Teddy, was curled up on his bed in the living room, sleeping soundly.

Aaron was sitting at the dining room table, sipping at a glass of wine thoughtfully and gazing off into nowhere. When Adam speaks, it pulls him out of his reverie.

“Sorry, did you say something?”

“Penny for your thoughts?” Adam crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the kitchen counter, a worried look furrowing his brow. “It is about Jack?” He knew that Aaron was having a hard time scraping together enough time to see his son.

“I-,” Hotch started, faltering as he tried to form words. “I want to be there for him, but Haley and I can’t seem to agree on anything. And I’m away all the time. I just...don’t want to wake up in ten years and not know my own son.” He looked up from his wine and fixed Adam with his very rarely seen puppy dog eyes. 

“Oh, honey,” Adam breathed, leaving the stove to crouch down in front of Aaron, taking the other man’s hands in his. “He’ll know who you are. You are his father, Aaron, and you love him with everything you have. I know that. Look, this might be a bit rough now, but it’ll pass. It all takes time.”

Aaron looked at Adam for a moment before smiling gently. “I love you.”

Adam’s lips twitched into a smile of his own. It was the first time that those words had slipped out of Aaron’s mouth, and Adam wasn't about to leave the man hanging.

“I love you too.” He lifted Hotch’s hands, held in his, and placed a soft kiss onto the back of them.

* * *

When Adam finally met little Jack Hotchner it was at the park. Aaron had asked Adam to meet him there and he obliged, looking forward to the fresh autumn air that swirled outside. He smiled broadly when he realized just why his boyfriend had asked to meet.

“You must be Jack,” Adam said, squatting down to be at the boy’s level.

“Mhm,” Jack said, holding onto his father’s coat with one hand and a stuffed dog with the other. “Are you friends with Daddy?”

“Yeah, I am. Is that your dog?” Adam nodded towards the toy.

“Uh-huh. Bear.”

“His name’s Bear? That’s a great name!”

Adam smiled and it wasn’t long before the kid followed suit. Aaron let out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding in. He knew his team would accept his relationship, once they knew about it, that is, but somehow Jack meeting Adam had been worrying him something chronic. The idea of his son hating his partner for some reason truly scared him. He cared for them both so much. But once again he had catastrophized the meeting. Everything was fine. Everything would be well.

* * *

It took the Reaper, that _bastard_ George Foyet, for Adam’s relationship with Aaron to be known among the rest of the BAU team. It had been midday when Adam’s phone had lit up, ringing incessantly with a call from an unknown number.

“Adam?” The voice was male, older probably, and worried.

“Yes, this is Adam.” Adam himself sounded winded, having just done the backroom inventory. “Who’s this?”

“My name is David Rossi, I work at the BAU with Aaron Hotchner.”

“My Aaron?” A sick feeling started to pool in the pit of his stomach and he swallowed hard. “What’s happened?”

The explanation was quick and before Adam even registered what he was doing he was flying out of the store, putting on his coat with one hand and wrenching open the door to his car with the other. It took him fifteen minutes to get to the hospital, only having to speed through some close call yellow lights. He parked haphazardly and raced into the building, running into Rossi in record time, practically colliding with the man. 

“Is he okay?” Adam asked, craning his neck to try and see past Rossi and the rest of the agents.

“He’s resting,” Rossi said, placing his hands on Adam’s shoulders to steady the younger man. “He’ll wake up in a few hours. He’s stable, Adam. He’ll heal in time.”

“Oh, Grazie Santo Dio,” Adam muttered, doubling over to catch his breath.

He couldn’t help but notice the confused looks that the other agents were giving both him and each other. They obviously knew him but his reason for being here had yet to hit them. But they didn’t ask any questions when he pushed past them, or when he settled down in the chair next to their boss’ bed, pulling himself forward to be closer to the man. When they were out of earshot from the room, Morgan leaned over to Rossi slightly.

“Those two?”

“Oh yeah.” Rossi nodded. “It’s a sure thing, I'd say.”

Reid spoke next. “How did we not notice?”

“Hotch is a private guy,” Garcia said knowingly. Of course she had known all along but then again, she made it her business to know these things about her family.

“Still,” Morgan said. “It looks like they’ve been together for a while.”

“They have,” Rossi responded quietly.

The group watched as Adam reached forward to hold Hotch’s still hand with his own and squeezed lightly, trying not to cry.

“I’ll stay a bit longer, but you all head home,” Rossi said, turning to his colleagues. “Get some rest. Hotch will be fine.”

The team all took one last long look at the couple in the room before they turned heel and made their own ways home.

It was another hour before Aaron’s eyes fluttered open sleepily and he groaned, turning his head to gaze at the man who had his hand captive.

“Sweetheart?” He said, voice groggy with sleep.

“If he ever even looks at you again I’ll kill him,” Adam said, leaning forward to kiss his lover’s forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Stiff.” Was the reply, followed by another groan. “But you’re here, so that’s better.”

Adam smiled and held Hotch’s hand to his lips, kissing Aaron’s knuckles softly.

“Good. Now don’t go off getting stabbed again, okay?”

“I’ll try my best,” Aaron said with a tired smile. “For you.”

* * *

It wasn’t Adam who killed Foyet in the end, though he never would have anyway. He couldn’t kill a spider, let alone a man. He didn’t have the skill or the will. No, Aaron had been the one to snuff out that particular light. With his bare hands, or so Adam was told. But Foyet had gotten to Haley before Aaron had gotten to him. Thankfully Jack was unharmed, but the wounds that Aaron would carry were deeper than any stab of a knife or firing of a gun. He had come to Adam broken, clutching his son to his chest, tears streaming down his cheeks with nothing but bandages holding him together. They had put Jack to bed in the spare room before Adam coaxed Aaron into sleeping. He watched as the older man’s chest slowly rose up and down with his breathing, occasionally hitching with a bad dream. When those came Adam would run his fingers through Aaron’s thick, dark hair, smoothing it back until his breathing returned to normal. It became a regular routine of theirs in the coming weeks of Aaron’s recovery. No matter which of their apartments they were at, Adam would always make sure to smooth the worry lines and unwind the tension that Aaron carried with him every day. At night they would lie together in bed, in each other’s arms, and be silent, simply listening to the other’s heartbeat, their breathing, the rustle that the sheets made when either of them moved. It was like a lullaby, a song to rock Aaron Hotchner to sleep. 

* * *

It didn’t take too long after Aaron had moved into a house following the Foyet ordeal for Adam to move in with him. They hadn’t spoken about it really. It was silently agreed between the two of them when they were at the pharmacy. The familiarity they had with each other, the way that they knew just what the other wanted or was trying to say, it all led them to the next step. And Jack didn’t seem to mind. He quite enjoyed having Daddy’s friend living with them. That meant that he could have those flat little cookie pancakes that Mister Adam made for breakfast almost every day; he could never remember their name. The trio spent mornings together over toast and coffee, juice for Jack, before dropping the boy off at school and making their own ways to work. When Aaron wasn’t away for a case they would curl up on the sofa and watch whatever movie Jack was currently obsessed with. It was quiet and domestic. Adam warmed at just the thought of it.

Not all was heavenly, though. Just because time had passed didn’t mean that all wounds were healed. It wasn’t uncommon for Aaron to get restless at night, twitching or murmuring in his sleep; occasionally he would roll all the way off of the bed entirely. But Adam was always there, pushing the man’s hair back from his forehead and kissing him softly. Adam would help his boyfriend back into bed, pulling him closer and covering both of them up with the duvet once more. It was these small acts that Aaron so loved about the other. 

Work remained for both of them. Adam sold books and Aaron caught criminals. On the days when Aaron was away on a case, Adam would take Jack to school, to the park and the movies, sometimes accompanied by Aunt Jessica, who eventually warmed up to having Adam around. They became a family in time. Photos lined the walls of their home, the various variations of the three of them, grinning and laughing. Aaron had photos of his team and him dotted around the place too, for they were his family also, not that he would admit it out loud though.

On days when Aaron was in the office, Adam would sometimes come to visit, maybe bring coffee and a muffin so that his partner wouldn’t starve to death. On occasion he would chat with the team as well; rambling away in Italian with Rossi to swap recipes, talking to Reid about the latest books he had acquired, and poking his head into Penelope’s room to say hello and catch up on the latest bureau gossip. All the while Aaron watched through the blinds on his office window, a soft smile playing on his lips as he watched the younger man flit his way around the bullpen. He had never known a man who could make friends so quickly. Eventually, the muffin was eaten, the coffee was drunk, and a goodbye kiss was given before Adam waved to the rest of the team and the elevator doors closed behind him.

Aaron looked up at the rap on his door and saw Rossi leaning in the frame.

“You’re keeping that one, right?” He said, smirking.

Hotch frowned and refrained from rolling his eyes. “He’s not a dog, Dave.”

“You know what I mean.” Rossi took up a pew in one of the chairs on the opposite side of Hotch’s desk and fixed the man with a serious look. “Adam’s one of the good ones, Aaron. Don’t let him get away.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Aaron leaned back in his chair and matched his friend’s glare.

“You know exactly what I mean, Aaron.” Rossi moved to rap his knuckles on the desk as he stood up to leave. “Just make sure you don’t mess it up, eh?”

Aaron watched Dave as he descended the stairs into the bullpen. He knew without a doubt what Rossi had been implying, but should he really take advice from a man thrice-divorced? Hotch pushed his hand into the pocket of his jacket and curled it around the little box he’d been carrying around for a few good weeks now. 

It just never felt like the right time to ask.

* * *

The house was quiet. Jack was off at Jessica’s for a sleepover with his cousin and the dog was already asleep in his basket. The television had been switched off after Adam and Aaron had finished watching the news before dinner. Adam had made fish so they’d eaten on the back patio so as not to smell up the house. The night was soft and silent. Fall was just around the corner and the leaves were beginning to turn. The talk throughout dinner was normal and domestic. They spoke about Jack and his grades, about the odd customers that Adam had had that day, about the wrapping up of Aaron’s most recent case. They talked about anything and everything. But once the meal was finished and cleared away, and after Adam had brought out a plate of his grandmother’s amaretti that she’d recently sent over, the two of them shifted closer to each other. They moved to the cushioned porch swing, each with a cookie and their glass of wine, and sat with Adam’s head resting on Aaron’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Aaron said softly, making Adam shift slightly to look up at the older man. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He continued. “I know I was grumpy and rude when we first met but...my shields were up so high I couldn't see you for what you truly were.”

“And what was that?” Adam asked gently.

“A gift.” Aaron smiled. “To me. And to Jack. To my team even.” He placed his glass and dessert onto a nearby table and slid neatly off of the porch swing and down onto one knee. Adam’s stomach flip-flopped and he set down his own drink as Aaron continued to speak.

“You’re always there for me even when I’m being a stubborn bastard, or I can’t think straight, or when I have to be away for a case. You always call me. You love my son and he loves you too, so much. I never thought I would get a second chance to be with someone after Haley.” He looked at Adam with an openness that the other man had never seen before as he pulled a box from his pocket. “And I don’t want to lose that.”

The little box was opened by Aaron’s somewhat shaky hands. It contained a slim, simple gold band. It had taken Aaron three days to pick out.

“Adam Joseph Belluomo, will you marry me?” The question was asked with apprehension and fear as if Aaron was in doubt that his partner would accept.

Adam smiled and put his hands over Aaron’s, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of the other man’s knuckles.

“Of course I will.” He spoke delicately, nodding, before leaning down to pull Aaron into a long and loving kiss. “Of course I will.”

* * *

That night in bed, with Adam curled against his chest, Aaron Hotchner slept soundly for the first time in years.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you have a nice day! Comments and kudos are more than welcome.


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